12 Days of Gifts
by thwipster808
Summary: My contribution to the Solangelo Advent Calendar Challenge! I'm gonna try do 12 days of gift giving (there'll be at least 7 lol). Basically these adorkable kids giving each other gifts until they admit their love (or something).
1. Day 1

**A/N: Don't at me on timeline and ToA; I'm too lazy for such things.**

"Hey, Neeks!"

One sunny son of Apollo jogged up to Nico as he walked to breakfast, his breath puffing out into the winter air. The border kept out the extreme cold of New York winter weather, but it still got pretty chilly at Camp Half Blood. Most people didn't mind; after all, it wasn't winter without the cold. The Apollo kids were truly the only ones who seemed to be physically suffering every day. However, nothing seemed to dampen the bright blues of Will Solace. At least, not to Nico.

"Don't call me that," Nico said, by way of greeting.

"Aw, come on, you know you love it," Will winked.

Nico rolled his eyes and continued walking with Will by his side. They both got their food and sat at the Apollo table. Nico had taken to doing that since the war ended. It was "mandated by his doctor" for a while, but at this point, Nico couldn't pretend that he didn't enjoy sitting here more than his own table.

"Nico!" Austin shouted from a little down the table. "We're throwing an ugly sweater party tonight. You should come!"

Nico looked at the son of Apollo, confused. "Why would you have a party for ugly sweaters? That doesn't even make sense."

Will laughed, light and airy. "Oh, Nico! I don't think you know what he's talking about. It's a Christmas thing. You wear the ugliest Christmas sweater you have—you could even make one yourself!"

"But why are the sweaters ugly?" Nico was not sold on this idea.

Kayla piped up across from him. "I don't know, it's just the thing. Have you seen Christmas sweaters? Like, the kind with literal lights and fuzzy balls stuck to them. It's just ridiculous and fun."

"Still sounds weird. But I don't have one of those anyway." Nico glanced away from the smiling faces of his fellow campers. It was just another thing that Nico didn't understand and couldn't participate in.

"Well, Death Boy," Will grinned as the son of Hades glanced at him, "I assumed you wouldn't have one. It doesn't exactly fit with your whole Batman wardrobe." He giggled as he shielded himself from Nico's punch. That skull ring was not kind. "So," Will continued. "I got you a present!" At that, Will pulled out a neatly wrapped box from under the table.

Nico took the box uncertainly. "I thought presents were only on Christmas?"

"I mean, people can give presents whenever they want," Will shrugged and smiled. "Go ahead and open it!"

With some hesitance, Nico carefully pulled of the ribbon and peeled back the wrapping paper, drawing out the process a lot longer than all the eagerly watching Apollo kids ever would have. He placed the wrapping on the side and lifted the lid off the box. Inside was the gaudiest thing Nico would ever own. The sweater was bright green with an ugly face on it. Nico was pretty sure it was called the "Grinch" because he had asked Will about it one day after someone called him that. Just because he was grumpy didn't mean he hated Christmas, gods. The sleeves had tiny felt Christmas tree cut-outs hanging from them and colorful fuzzy balls stuck all over the sweater. It was a ghastly sight.

"Ta-da!" Will trilled. "Do you like it? I added the extra stuff myself." He seemed so proud, Nico didn't know what to say.

"Uh," he started, "I mean, it's pretty ugly."

"Perfect, that's the point!" The rest of the cabin made a few comments about it before going back to other conversations. Will turned to face Nico and placed the sweater on Nico's chest, seeing how it looked. "It'll fit perfectly. Now you have to come to the party."

Nico tried to scowl; he really did. But the happiness on Will's face was hard to resist. "That was your plan all along, huh."

"Oh, Death Boy, you know me too well." Will smiled his bright, sunny smile, the cloudy, dismal sky behind him making him seem like the only sun in the sky. Pretty close to the truth, if you asked Nico.


	2. Day 2

It was getting colder out; colder than Nico anticipated. He really missed his old aviator jacket. All he had, aside from the gods-awful sweater that he would never wear again, was a Camp Half Blood hoodie, thankfully black with orange letters instead of vice versa.

He was still freezing though.

"Morning, Death Boy!" Will was hidden beneath layers of clothing and warmth, with only his eyes visible between his beanie and scarf. He somehow still sounded cheery.

Nico grunted as he plopped down at the Apollo table, immediately pulling his arms around himself and hunching into his hoodie.

"Cold?" Will asked, like it wasn't obvious. Nico glared at Will even as a shiver passed through his body.

Will had the audacity to _laugh_ at Nico, though it was muffled by the scarf pulled up over his mouth and nose. "Do you have gloves? Or a hat?"

Nico glared at his plate of food, as if he hoped it would hop into his mouth so he didn't have to remove his hands from where it was tucked into his armpits. "If I had those things, I'd be wearing them."

Will shrugged. "That's fair." He shifted around to grab something from his other side. It was then that Nico noticed that most of Will's siblings weren't at breakfast. They were probably frozen popsicles in this weather. Nico's not sure how they survive most winters, honestly. Will was probably only here because he knew Nico would be. The thought warmed Nico up a bit, however fleeting and untrue it seemed.

"My siblings refused to get up this morning," Will explained. "But I figured that you needed some warm things. As your doctor, I cannot let you exist in this season without proper clothing." Will grinned his smug, doctor grin that used to irk Nico to no end. Now, he found it a bit endearing. But still annoying.

"Here you go!" Will shoved a floppy, wrapped gift into Nico's face, who grumbled as his cold hands caught the present.

"What is this?" Nico wondered as he beheld the thing in his hands.

"Open it, dummy." Will snuggled back into his cocoon of warmth as he nudged Nico with his elbow.

Nico frowned, tearing away the wrapping paper and said, "It's still not Christmas yet, Solace." He pulled away the paper to reveal a black beanie with a skull on it and a black and white floof at the top. There was also a matching pair of black fingerless gloves with mitten covers dangling from it. They were both knit with the softest material Nico had ever held.

Will was watching Nico's face closely. "Do you like it? I tried to knit them myself. It was… not easy. And I messed up many times. Eventually, Malcolm helped me out. Or kinda did it all. It was hard, okay." His face got a little redder as he rambled. Nico couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

By way of response, Nico tugged on the beanie and gloves, immediately rubbing his gloved hands on his face to relish in the warmth. He closed his eyes momentarily, missing the way Will gazed at him fondly.

"Glad you like it, Batman. I even made sure the gloves were fingerless to match your bad boy aesthetic."

Nico glared at the other boy. "I like black. Sue me."

They ate breakfast in a comfortable silence, slowly scooting close enough to brush shoulders as the icy wind blew through the pavilion.

**A/N: I don't think it's tooooo cold, at least not always. But the weather has some variation in camp, just for fun and better training. But also, I think these kids are a bit wimpy in cold weather so they're overdramatic about it lol.**


	3. Day 3

Nico was sitting in his cabin when Will found him in the afternoon. After a few knocks and a shout from inside, Will let himself into the dark Hades Cabin. It wasn't actually dark—light streamed in through the blinds and a small lamp was on by Nico's bed—but the vibe was still pretty doom-and-gloom if you asked Will. Nico would probably agree.

"'Sup, Death Breath. Whatcha doin'?" Will made his way over to Nico's bed and sat himself down on the edge. It took a while, but Will was glad they were close enough where he could do that comfortably.

"Trying to read," Nico responded as he put his book down, resolutely ignoring the dumb nickname. He had a decently sized book, which was not necessarily a common sight among demigods.

"What about?"

Nico glanced down at his book. "Well, it's about Stygian Iron. I wanted to learn more about it, but it's hard to read." He frowned at the book, seeming more frustrated than anything.

"Is it hard because of your dyslexia? Or hard because it's technical?" Will's dyslexia wasn't as bad as many of the campers, so he didn't have much trouble reading. Plus, he got a lot of practice by working in the infirmary.

Nico sighed. "Yeah, mostly the dyslexia. But it's also a little boring. I just don't have anything else to read, so I figured I may as well try to be productive."

"How studious of you," Will teased. Nico didn't advertise it, but he knew that he liked the classes he had at camp and learned a lot from all of them. "I have some more fun books in my cabin. Like novels and stuff, not textbooks. Though I've got plenty of medical books, if you'd like."

Nico huffed out a laugh. "Maybe I'll look later. My brain hurts from trying to read." He gave Will a pointed look. "But no to the med books, thanks. I think you yell at me enough that random health facts are engraved in my brain forever."

"Good! That's exactly as it should be," Will laughed.

Nico stretched before getting up. "I think I have a sword-fighting class I'm helping Jason out with, so I gotta go."

Will got up as well. "Okay! I'll see you at dinner. I should probably make sure my cabin is doing whatever they're supposed to be doing right now." Plus, Will had something else to take care of.

* * *

"Nico! Hold up!" Will caught Nico as they left their respective cabins to head to the pavilion. The cold air whipped against his skin, making his cheeks red and his golden hair wild.

"Will? What's up?" He waited for Will to catch his breath, still not far from Cabin 13.

Will straightened up and held out a small rectangle wrapped in blue paper. "I got you something!"

"Will!" At this point, Nico was a bit alarmed at the number of things Will had gotten him already. It wasn't even Christmas yet! Was this normal? Should he be doing this too?

"I know, I know," Will started, as if reading Nico's thoughts. "You're not obligated to give gifts or anything! I just keep thinking of things I think you'd like, and I don't wanna wait. So, come on! Open this one!"

Nico lightly grumbled about being pushy as he tore through the wrapping paper. In his hands, he held a case with a disc inside. Someone told him it could store things on it, but he had never had one of his own. The cover of the case was red with an owl on it and words in golden lettering, but it was hard to read.

"It's an audiobook!" Will exclaimed. "It's technically a little old school since it's on a CD, but demigods don't have smartphones so," he shrugged. "You have a stereo with a CD player in your cabin, right? I'm pretty sure I saw one in there one time. You can use that to play the CD. I can show you later."

Nico had heard of stereos before, but CDs were way after his time. "What exactly is an audiobook?"

"Oh," Will said. "It's like someone reading a book to you, basically. Some are more dramatic readings than others. It's something a lot of demigods like because you don't have to read anything, but you still enjoy the book. I think some of the Athena kids even use it so they can multi-task with something else at the same time."

Nico's eyes widened. "Oh, that's cool. They have these for all books?"

"Not all, but definitely popular ones." He gestured to the disc. "That one is the first Harry Potter book, which was, like, the first really good book series for teens. The books are really thick, but the audiobook makes it way easier. I realized you had missed it, which really must be fixed immediately," Will grinned at Nico; he felt really good about this gift.

Nico smiled back. "Cool, I can't wait to… hear it, I guess."

"You're gonna love it! Go put it back in your cabin, we're going to be late for dinner!"

As they walked to dinner, Will started telling Nico about the world of Harry Potter, without spoilers, of course. Meanwhile, Nico was thinking about his own surprise for tomorrow.

**A/N: I almost made it some unnamed book by Uncle Rick, but that was too meta for me.**


	4. Day 4

When Nico doesn't show up to breakfast the next morning, Will is a little worried. Nico hasn't missed many breakfasts since Will started pestering him about it, and when he has, Will knows exactly where or why Nico missed. Call him paranoid, but the idea that Nico had wanted to leave camp permanently at one point never completely left his mind.

However, Nico was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, both in respect to monsters and his well-being. So, Will did not check Nico's cabin or IM him or anything. He just went to the infirmary and worked his shift as per usual. If Nico wasn't at lunch, then Will would do some active investigation.

Luckily, Nico came to the pavilion come lunch time.

"Nico!" Will exclaimed as Nico approached the table. From what Will could tell, Nico was entirely uninjured and just as healthy as he was yesterday, if not a tad bit tense. He seemed to be holding something behind his back, but Will was too preoccupied to pay it much mind.

"Solace."

"Where were you at breakfast?" Will asked.

Nico glanced away nervously, "Oh, uh, I had an errand to run."

"For your dad?" Will cocked his head in question. "Did you encounter any monsters?"

"No, no, it was actually just my own thing." He rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I, uh, got you something."

At that, Nico unceremoniously shoved a tiny box into Will's hands. It wasn't wrapped or anything, but Nico clearly meant it as a gift like what Will had been getting Nico the past few days.

"Oh, Neeks, y-you didn't have to get me anything!" Will stammered out. "I didn't mean—"

"I know, I know," Nico cut him off. "I just wanted to. Hurry up and open it already." He could feel the red spreading up his neck and into his cheeks. His old self would have shadow-traveled away already.

Will turned his attention back to the box in hand. He carefully tugged the lid off to reveal two enamel pins: one was a heart with eyes and the other was a ghost.

"I, um," Nico cleared his throat and restarted. "I noticed you liked pins like this on your jackets and bags and stuff, so I asked Austin what they were called and where you got them. I went into the city today to find some." Nico pointed to the heart. "I think that's from that video you showed me? The one with the two boys that you really liked." Nico's face was tomato red at this point; Will had to give him props for saying everything that he just did without running away.

Will was so overjoyed that Nico got these just for him that he couldn't help himself; he jumped up and hugged Nico. "I love it, Nico! Thank you so much!" He leaned back and gazed down at his pins, if only to save Nico any further feelings of embarrassment that would come with looking him in the eye. "They're so cute! And yeah, the heart is from the _In a Heartbeat _short I showed you. I can't believe you remembered!"

A smile tugged at Nico's lips. "Yeah, well, I liked it too."

"Aw, and this cute little ghost reminds me of you." Will had no self-control when it came to showering Nico with as much affection as the son of Hades could handle, which wasn't much anyways.

"I'm not cute," Nico mumbled with a pout on his face. Will's heart twisted up inside, but he held his tongue and simply grinned. It was still bright enough that Nico physically looked away, his face more aflame than ever.


	5. Day 5

Will was working in the infirmary when Nico walked in. At first, he didn't notice the son of Hades since he was taking care of a patient. Just another son of Hermes with a prank gone wrong. No matter how few campers were at camp, the infirmary was never empty. When Will finished up, he saw Nico standing near his desk, looking at the various books on the shelf.

"Oh, Nico! I didn't see you come in." Will washed his hands and strode over to where Nico was perusing.

"I just got here, it's fine." Soft Christmas music could be heard filtering through the speakers of the infirmary radio.

"What are you up to?" It was about mid-afternoon. The son of Hades usually had some class to attend or teach at this time.

Nico shrugged. "Just bored." It seemed like he wanted to say more but didn't exactly know how to ask to hang out. Especially since Will was clearly still working. It was at times like these that Will really wished he wasn't head counselor of Cabin Seven and head healer.

"Well," Will started, trying to think of something to do. "You could hang out here if you want? There's always bandages to cut, items to restock, all that fun stuff."

Nico brightened up a little, like he was glad for something to do. Will liked to think his presence made it a little more enjoyable. "Sure, I can do that."

Will set up his helper with some tasks to do, nothing Nico hadn't done before. No new campers came in, thankfully, so both boys took to cleaning and organizing the infirmary in a comfortable silence. Will hummed along to the music, occasionally singing the words despite his mediocre singing skills. It was Christmas music; he couldn't not sing some of them.

Nico broke the silence. "How do you know all these songs?"

"Hm?" Will looked over to where Nico was standing near the radio. "Oh, well, I just… do? They're all Christmas songs, so I've heard them, like, a billion times by now."

Nico was still frowning at the radio as Will made his way over, ditching his broom in the corner of the room for now. "You've never heard any of these songs, huh?"

Nico shook his head. "No, I assume they all came out after…"

Will hummed, thinking over what he could do to help Nico out. He had a lot of pop culture to catch up on, for one. But Will also didn't like the look in his eyes whenever he encountered something to remind him that he's not in his time period. It was sad, and a little distant; a little too similar to the Nico Will met that day on the hill during the Second Giant War.

Then, a thought occurred to Will. "Oh!" Nico stared at him in question. "Wait here, I'm going to go find something."

Will ran out of the infirmary, leaving Nico to wonder what was going on, or what to do. Figuring he could only wait and see, Nico shrugged and moved to grab Will's discarded broom.

After about seven minutes, Will burst back into the infirmary, startling Nico slightly.

"Sorry! I may have made a big mess in my cabin, but I found this!" He held up a square plastic case, something Nico had seen around camp a lot.

"Another audiobook?"

Will laughed lightly as he gestured Nico over to the stereo. "No, no, but it is a CD. This one is all music." He glanced over at Nico nervously as he slid the disc into place. "My siblings and I have a collection of CDs. Some are bought and some people put together themselves. There are many different genres in music, like different styles, instruments, purposes, etcetera. This one I actually made a few years back. It's mostly rock or variations of that with some random songs."

Will's cheeks colored as he continued. "I think you'll like a lot of these, but I don't really know your taste? And maybe you don't know either, I guess. But, uh, we can listen to this and then you can have the CD if you like it…?"

Nico was a bit stunned. He knew that Will wanted him to be included and was always pushing him to learn about modern culture, but he hadn't really been given something like this. It seemed like something kind of personal to Will. After all, music was an important aspect in a child of Apollo's life. "A-are you sure I can have that?"

Will smiled his normal thousand-Watt smile, his cheeks still pink. "Of course! I have more where that came from too, if you want to listen to more."

With the image of Nico and Will chilling in his cabin, laying on his bed as they listened to music, Will ranting about the song's meaning and origin, Nico said, "That'd be great."

**A/N: I threw together a playlist here: playlist?list=PLrSX-HurywO8IfzRyeG8zdy_N5FCUjAw9 (paste this at the end of a YouTube url). Imagine picking songs out that Nico may or may not like, that's what's here.**


	6. Day 6

There was a knock on the infirmary door, which was not a common occurrence at camp, especially not early in the morning. Most campers walked, or limped, right in. Kayla looked up from her desk to see the one and only son of Hades at the door.

"Will's not here," she said as she looked back at the paperwork she was slaving over. Healing may have been in her dad's sphere, but she did not appreciate the boring stuff that came with it.

"Oh yeah, uh, I know." Kayla glanced up when Nico paused, clearly cringing at his own words. "I mean, I was hoping to ask you something."

"Oh," Kayla said in surprise. She's been around Nico often because of her brother's need to pine via health rants, but she'd never had a one-on-one conversation with him. "Sure thing. What do you need?"

Nico shuffled from foot to foot nervously. "I, um, I wanted to get Will something. To, like, help him with healing and stuff. I was thinking, like, a bag? I mean, I know he has a satchel, obviously." Nico flailed his arms around as he talked, or rambled, more like. Kayla felt her lip twitch as she tried to decipher exactly what Nico wanted from her and not laugh at how flustered he seemed. It was endearing. It was also a little clearer to her that the pining was mutual, though she had already bet money on that a while ago.

"You mean like a med pack?"

Nico visibly brightened, like a frustrated puppy who finally got their treat. "Yeah! That. Like in a waist bag thing though, like a tool belt, so it's convenient in the field. I mean," he rubbed his neck sheepishly. "That's what I thought of. I don't know if it's a thing."

Kayla smiled and tried to put the demigod at ease. "Yeah, a medical fanny pack-tool belt kinda thing does exist. And it is really convenient to have in the field. I think our older brothers used to have something similar." It didn't hurt as much to talk about them, but she still missed Michael and Lee desperately.

Nico seemed to understand the hidden feelings behind that statement. His shoulders dropped a bit and his expression softened, something Kayla couldn't say she'd seen or had directed at her before from the boy. "Oh, I see." His mouth twisted into a frown as paused in thought. "Do you... know where I can get one?"

Kayla tapped her chin in thought. "Well, probably any tactical or outdoorsy store would have something like what you want. Online ordering is always easy, but you'd have to ask Chiron about using a computer unless you have one."

Nico nodded, his forehead creased in thought. "Okay, I can find that. Thanks, Kayla."

"Wait!" Kayla stopped Nico before he jumped into a shadow. "What's this for? Christmas?"

Nico blushed in response. "Kind of? But not really? I'm not sure, I just know Will keeps getting me things but it's not Christmas yet so I'm trying to match him, or whatever."

Kayla wanted to squeal at how cute Nico was being, especially since he only seemed embarrassed for caring. She took advantage of the moment, "Aw, Nico, that's so sweet! I'm sure Will will _love_ it!" She smiled her cheeky grin as Nico turned even redder before shadow-traveling away. These two boys were flustered idiots, and she honestly wished she could knock their heads together. She could only hope that the Christmas season worked its magic.

* * *

Will knocked on the door to Cabin 13. "Nico?"

He had just finished archery with his cabin and was hoping he could hang out with the son of Hades before dinner. They hadn't seen each other all day, and Will kind of felt like his day was missing something without Nico in it.

Rustling could be heard through the door, along with a few Italian curses Will was now familiar with. "Are you okay?"

"Fine!" Nico's voice was at least an octave higher than normal.

"Are you sure?" More swearing, and something definitely just fell inside. "I'm coming in!"

Will swung the door wide open and rushed in, expecting to see Nico on the ground in pain or something. Instead, he came face to face with a reddening son of Hades and a mess of paper and ribbons behind him. "Uh…" He had no idea what to make of what he was seeing.

"Will!" Nico exclaimed, his hair sticking out in wild tufts like he was running his hands through them. He was clearly hiding something on his bed with his body. "What are you—I mean do, um… do you need something?"

Will blinked at Nico, still very confused. "Um, are you okay? What's going on in here?"

Nico chewed his bottom lip as he stared at Will, eventually deciding to just give in. He sighed and moved to the side to reveal a box on his bed. When he noticed Will's befuddled expression, he said, "I was… trying to wrap this box… for… you…" He looked away in embarrassment. Will normally found this very cute, but he was still unsure of what was happening.

"You… what?"

Another sigh. "Look, I was just—whatever, here you go." He thrust the box towards Will. "I was trying to wrap it. You know, like the presents you gave me. But I was going to give it to you today anyways, so I guess it doesn't matter." He was still looking away as Will gently took the box from Nico's hands.

After a moment of silence, Nico asked, "Well, are you going to open it?"

"Oh. Yeah, okay then." Will fumbled for the lid and ripped it off, if only to dispel the awkward air that had descended around them. Inside the box, he found an olive-green medical pack, the kind that professionals might use in the field. It had many pockets of different sizes and an adjustable waist buckle. It was probably the nicest thing Will would ever own. "This is… oh my gods, this is so nice!" All of Will's confusion got pushed out of his mind in favor of awe and excitement. "This is like, military-grade kind of stuff. I could hold so much! And it's perfect if I'm ever out on a quest or in battle or something! Not that I'm often in battle, but it's fantastic nonetheless."

Will smiled, which made Nico smile. "Sorry it's not wrapped or anything. It's harder than it looks." Will peered around Nico's shoulders to see the mess that laid behind him. Random cuts of wrapping paper and ribbons were strewn across his bed, along with several strips of tape and crumpled paper. Considering Nico was wrapping a box, it was a sad sight.

Will chuckled and said, "I love it a lot, Nico. I can't believe you even found something like this! And, like you said, the wrapping isn't a big deal since it just gets ripped off anyway." He raised an eyebrow at the mess. "Do you want me to teach you how to wrap? It's not so hard, you just need practice. Boxes are the perfect place to start!"

Nico's blush intensified as he glanced at his mess. "Um, yeah, that might be helpful."


	7. Day 7

"Hey, Nico! Check this out!"

Will ran up to Nico when he walked into the infirmary. He twirled around to show off his new med pack fastened around his waist. It looked like he already filled all the pockets to bursting.

"You need it in the infirmary?" Nico cocked his head like a confused puppy.

Will laughed (and refrained from squishing Nico's adorable cheeks). "Not really! But I wanted to use it immediately. Plus, it makes me look more official." He puffed out his chest, to which Nico rolled his eyes fondly. He was such a dork.

"Sure thing, Solace." Nico fiddled with his skull ring, a telltale sign that he was nervous about something.

"Everything okay, Neeks?"

Nico bit his lip before looking up into Will's eyes. "I just came to tell you, um… that I have to leave."

Will's eyes widened in surprise and he couldn't stop himself from grabbing Nico's hands, like he was afraid Nico was going to fade away all over again. "What? Why!?"

"Not—not like that! Just for a day! My father called me down to the Underworld to do something, but it shouldn't take long." _Are we holding hands? Does this count? No, no, Will is just scared. Should I pull away? What is happening?_ Nico was a mess at the moment.

"Oh, gods, Nico, don't phrase it like that!" Will's shoulders immediately slumped in relief. This boy will be the death of him.

"S-sorry…" Nico trailed off as Will let their hands fall apart.

Will breathed out heavily, dispelling the rest of his panic. "Just IM me when you get there, okay?"

"Well, I'll try. Reception down there isn't always the best. Plus, Persephone is there now, and she loves nagging me endlessly for no reason."

Will chuckled, then straightened up with an idea. "Oh! Wait, I have something for you."

"Again?" Nico called after Will, who rushed over to his desk.

"Yes, again, Death Boy. Don't pretend you don't love it." After digging around in a drawer, Will stood up triumphantly with an oddly shaped object in his hands. "Here it is!"

Will walked over and placed it in Nico's waiting palm. "What is it?"

"It's a prism. The pyramidal shape refracts light and splits it into the different color wavelengths, so we see it as a rainbow. It's pretty cool to me." Nico did not understand most of what Will said, but he nodded along anyway. "For demigods, the main purpose of it is to help create a rainbow easier for Iris Messaging. You can have that one! I've obviously never been to the Underworld, so I'm not sure exactly how dark it is down there, but this should make IM'ing way easier."

Nico gazed in awe at the rainbow sprouting out from the object in his hand. It was really amazing. "Wow, this is so cool." He looked up to see the rainbow reflected in Will's blue irises. "It's really pretty."


	8. Day 8

Will could not stop bouncing his knee at breakfast the next morning. Nico didn't show up, which meant he was probably already gone to the Underworld. He knew Nico would be safe as the Prince of the Underworld and Ghost King, plus the errand his dad had for him wasn't a big thing, according to Nico. But he still worried nonetheless; it was in his nature.

"Will, I swear to the gods, _stop shaking your leg_ before I cut it off." Austin slammed his fists down on the table, effectively startling Will out of his spiral of worry.

"Sorry!" He blushed and ducked his head down, shoving food into his mouth. He hated that he was a mess without Nico around. However, it also meant that he cared a lot about the boy, which he did not mind in the slightest.

He heard a sigh and looked up at Kayla across the table. "We get it, Will; you're worried about him. Do you want the day off? Or would you rather work all day?"

"Can I have your shift, please?" He knew it was a bit unhealthy, but Will liked keeping busy rather than worrying himself to death.

Kayla sighed again as she glanced at her brother. "You work too much," she answered.

* * *

It was almost dinnertime when Will was doing inventory in the infirmary. It wasn't a very busy day, which was both good and bad for Will. Good that no one was getting badly injured, bad that he had more time to himself. Luckily, the infirmary was a bit messy and hadn't had a deep clean and reorganization in a while, so Will gladly set to work on that. He was in the supply closet when he heard someone walk in.

"Hello?" The person called out, and Will recognized him immediately.

He popped out of the closet and rushed over to hug the son of Hades. "Nico! You're back!"

He felt a huff of laughter ruffle his hair as Nico lightly put his arms around Will. "I wasn't gone long."

"I'm still happy you're back." Will leaned back with a smile, but Nico quickly pulled away and threw his hands behind his back. "Uh, everything okay?"

"Yeah!" Nico cleared his throat. "Um, yeah, I just have something for you."

"From the Underworld?" Nico nodded. "Like, bones and stuff?"

Nico rolled his eyes, his shoulders relaxing a little. "There are other things down there, _idiota_." As much as Nico was insulting Will, he couldn't help but love it when Nico said anything in Italian.

Nico slowly brought his arms out from behind his back. In his hands, he gently held a beautiful flower crown that was woven together with flowers that were practically glowing with life and color. There was a wide array of flowers that Will couldn't name. All he knew was that it was stunning. Nico didn't say anything as he delicately placed the crown on Will's head; it fit perfectly.

"Nico…"

"From Persephone's personal garden," Nico's face was bright red at this point. "She helped me make it too."

Will was surprised, to say the least. He thought Nico didn't get along with Persephone. Nico seemed to anticipate his question. "We've been better, recently. We're both trying at least." He leaned back to appreciate his work. Will looked breathtaking to Nico. "I asked her what kind of gift I could give you, so she came up with this."

Will smiled, bright and beautiful, and hugged Nico again. "I love it."

"You haven't even seen yourself."

"It was made by you; it's beautiful."


	9. Day 9

Nico woke up to a knock on his door. It was probably around 9 AM. While Nico would normally try to be up by then, it was a Sunday and therefore he had no reason to be up.

The knocking continued even as Nico resolutely tried to ignore the sound. With a groan, he rolled himself out of bed and pulled on some sweats, tugging his shirt into place before moving towards the door. There were only a few people that would do such a thing to the son of Hades, and Jason and Percy weren't at camp at the moment, leaving one option.

Sure enough, Nico opened the door to see Will Solace, shining bright against the cloudy sky in all his sunny glory.

"What," said Nico, the ball of sunshine he was.

"Morning, Death Boy! Sleep well?"

"I was," Nico grumbled, walking back to his bed and leaving the door open for Will.

Will chuckled lightly as Nico flopped back onto his bed. He followed and jumped onto the bed, bouncing the other boy around.

"Who invited you in," Nico mumbled into his mattress.

"Well, the door was just left open, so I took that as an invitation." Will sat cross-legged with his hands behind his back.

Nico sighed and flipped over, turning his head to peer up at the son of Apollo. He had a cheery grin on his face, which was more than Nico was used to, especially in this situation. It was usually Doctor Solace dragging Nico to breakfast on the weekends. "What's wrong with your face."

Will somehow smiled wider, threatening to split his face in half. "I have something for you!"

Nico squinted in suspicion. "Again?"

"Yes, again, di Angelo. Do you think I'd be lying after these past several days?"

Nico shrugged and sat up to mirror Will. "Could be an elaborate prank."

"It's not," Will said earnestly. He brought his hands out from behind his back and held out a carefully wrapped box the size of a loaf of bread. "I was just really excited to give this to you and couldn't wait any longer."

Nico held the box lightly in his hands. With a glance up at Will, he neatly pulled away the wrapping paper like he did on the first day he got a gift. He flipped up the lid of the neat white box and gasped. Inside was a beautiful dagger with a rainbow oil slick design. The handle had dips for a good grip and pretty, curling designs carved into the metal. The dagger itself was slightly serrated. Nico carefully lifted it out of the box, finding the sheath underneath it. The weight felt good in his hands. The sound of it sheathing gave Nico goosebumps.

Will had watched as Nico examined the dagger in wonder. "I know you usually just fight with your Stygian Iron sword, but I figured having a smaller weapon like that would be useful too. And, you know, weapons can be beautiful and deadly." He gave Nico a small smile.

Nico was blown away. It was easily the nicest weapon he had ever seen, and he'd seen many ancient weapons over the years he's spent with the dead. Not only was it pretty, but it felt like a good, practical weapon too. He couldn't wait to practice with it.

"Will… it's perfect." He placed the knife back in its box before leaning across the bed to give Will a quick hug. "Where did you get it?"

"I asked some Hephaestus kids about weapon forging and, after discovering how hard it was to make something that nice, they directed me to a good place." He shrugged like it wasn't one of the most thoughtful things anyone had done for Nico.

He shook his head. "Well, it's awesome. I can't wait to use it!"

Will smirked at the son of Hades. "Bet you're glad I woke you up now, huh?"

Nico scoffed even as he jumped out of bed. "Don't make a habit of it, Solace."


	10. Day 10

Will rose with the sun, as per usual. Even with the cloudy sky and cold morning, he still knew when the sun rose. However, morning routines were always longer in the winter with all the bundling up he had to do. Apollo didn't exactly thrive in the winter, so neither did his kids. They were cold all the time, and many of them were miserable. Will managed and did his best to set a positive example for his siblings. Still, bundling up was such a hassle.

He finally made it out the door around 7:30 AM, heading straight to the infirmary for the morning shift. Since there were less campers around, they only needed one person per shift. Will loved the nice, quiet mornings he had to himself, so he didn't mind taking the early shifts to let his siblings either sleep in or do other fun things.

When Will got to the infirmary, he was so wrapped up that he almost didn't see the little box sitting on the doorstep. Unsure what to make of it, he stepped over it to get inside and strip off some layers. Afterward, he quickly opened the door and snatched the object up. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a Christmas present. It was neatly wrapped with a nice red bow on top. Will spun it around until he found a tag, pleasantly surprised to find the gift addressed to himself. There was a sticky note attached that said to open it now, so Will assumed it was probably from Nico. He had no idea how they started their little gift exchange over the past week or so, but he found it really endearing and fun, something sweet to look forward to.

Will took the present to his desk and set it down, deciding to check over the infirmary first. After a quick sweep to ensure everything was as it should be, he excitedly sat down at his desk. He hesitated only for a second before gently unwrapping the box. He pulled off the lid to find a ceramic object nestled in tissue paper. He carefully lifted the object out of the box, holding what appeared to be a ceramic cup glazed in a dull turquoise color. The base had three lines running around the circumference. Will turned the cup over to see a wavy signature he immediately recognized as Nico's scrawled underneath.

Glancing back at the box, Will noticed a note at the bottom. He placed the cup to the side and reached for the paper.

_Will,_

_I made this cup thing in ceramics and I thought you might like it. Well, Piper thought you would. She said anything handmade is always good, even if it's not perfect. I don't know, but I hope you like it anyway. I think it makes a nice mug, even though there's no handle._

_Nico_

It was the cutest thing Will had ever read.

Nico made him a mug! And it was really nice! Will couldn't wait to show it off to his siblings. Plus, it'd be perfect for all the tea that he drinks. He couldn't believe Nico made this by hand. Will was a healer first and foremost, but a lot of other coordinated or complicated activities were a bit harder to catch onto sometimes, one of which was ceramics.

It's a good thing Nico wasn't there because Will squealed with delight as he evaluated the gift from all sides. He also loved the fact that Nico asked Piper for help. He was such a softie.

After a while of staring, Will got up to make himself some tea in his new mug. The warm mug warmed his cold hands and he fell in love (with the gift) even more.

* * *

Nico emerged from his cabin a little before lunch that day, surprised he didn't get a wake-up call from his doctor. On his doormat, he found a paper with a big "Thank You!" written across it in black sharpie, little smiley faces and flowers drawn in various colors around it. The grin never fully left his face for the rest of the day.

**A/N: In honor of my friend who gave me the mug I described and I love it so much 3**


	11. Day 11

The small group of campers present had gathered at the campfire on Christmas Eve. It was cold enough that everyone layered up, but the fire always felt warmest on this night. Nico offered up his thanks to Hestia; he always felt some sort of kinship with her.

The night was filled with Christmas songs and laughter. Nico sat in the Apollo cabin section, though most of the cabin was upfront leading music. Will stood in front of them all, even though his siblings had more musical talent than him. Still, he sang loudly and acted silly, bringing joy and light to the place. Nico smiled at his antics, unable to sing the songs he didn't know but enjoying himself anyway.

When the songs ended and other campers went up to perform, Will came and sat next to Nico. "Having fun?"

Nico glanced away to try and hide his smile. "It's fine."

"Aw, come on, don't be like that Death Boy. It's okay to smile!"

"Shut up," Nico nudged Will playfully. When their eyes met, Nico could see the firelight perfectly reflected in Will's shining irises, the color dimmed but still a sparkling blue in the night. He felt like Will could see right through him, which he kind of could. He knew Nico was happy, joyful even, for the first time in a long while. Not just tonight, but in the time after the war, Will watched the tension leave Nico's body and a precious little smile work its way onto his face. Whether or not Will played a part in the change, he was glad he got to watch it happen.

"Kiss already," someone coughed behind Will. He whipped around to see Lou Ellen elbowing Cecil hard in the ribs, though even she couldn't hide the smirk on her face. Will felt his ears burning, but Nico didn't seem to catch on, anyway.

Someone else roughly sat down on Will's other side, clearly trying to get his attention. Will turned to see Kayla with a meaningful look in her eye. She raised an eyebrow at him and furtively glanced down behind the bench they were seated on. He caught on immediately and gave her a small nod, albeit with an uncertain tilt to his mouth. She rolled her eyes at her idiot brother, but he didn't miss the supportive smile she shot him.

With a deep breath, Will turned back to Nico to see him gazing at the fire. He wondered what he might be thinking about.

Will cleared his throat to gently get Nico's attention. When he looked up, Will suddenly felt a little nervous. "Uh," he started.

"Yeah?" Nico cocked his head.

Will shook his head in an attempt to push away his nerves. He reached under the bench and pulled out a wrapped rectangular gift. He held it on his side opposite Nico, still slightly out of sight. "I, um, have something—a gift—for you." His fingers fiddled with the ribbons of the present nervously as he continued before Nico said anything. "It's tradition—well, I mean, it was—with my mom and I. We always opened a gift on Christmas eve. Not that we had many to choose from, but it was more about the shared experience than the gift anyway."

Will gulped as he brought the present out and placed it in Nico's lap.

Nico stared at it with too many thoughts to process. He knew that he and Will had been informally exchanging gifts for days now, but this felt more personal. Will was sharing a _tradition_ with him, one that was special to him and his mom, whom he hadn't seen in some time. It felt like a big deal.

"You don't have to open it now," Will rushed out as the seconds ticked on. "I just thought—"

"No, I will!" Nico's hands flew protectively to the gift, as if Will was about to take it back. "I mean, I'll open it. But, well, sorry I don't—"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not expecting you to have something for me! I just wanted to do this." Will smiled nervously, but it broke the tension, nonetheless.

Nico nodded and gave a small smile in return, looking back down at the present. He tore the paper as nicely as he could with cold fingers to reveal a book of some kind. Nico flipped it open and his jaw dropped. The book was filled with plastic card holders, the first few pages already filled with Mythomagic cards. They were in no particular order, but they still looked relatively new. Nico flipped through eagerly, recognizing all the cards present.

His eyes shot up to Will's in excitement, finding that they were already trained on him. "This is amazing! Where did you find these?"

Will rubbed his next sheepishly. "Well, I remember that you liked these and asked around. It took a bit of digging, but I eventually found a store that sold some."

"You remember? From when?"

Will smiled fondly. "Um, when you first came to camp forever ago. I don't think we formally met, but I knew about you. I found out you liked Mythomagic and," Will's cheeks bloomed with color. "I had wanted to play with you, I remember. You were gone before I could ask."

Nico couldn't believe it. Will remembered him from what felt like ages ago, before he had lost his sister. If Nico had stayed, he would have had a friend in Will long before now.

Nico felt his eyes sting and lunged forward into the son of Apollo's chest, his arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "Thanks," he whispered, his breath ghosting across Will's cheek.

Will hugged back just as tightly.


	12. Day 12

Nico got up early on Christmas morning. Today was the day. He actually had a _planned_ gift for Will, not all these impromptu ones he and Will had been exchanging for the past week. Well, Will's may have been planned, but Nico's surely weren't.

But he did plan his present for Christmas Day. Now that he thought about it, he briefly wondered if it was too much. After all, he'd been working out the details for months. But then he pictured the smile on Will's face, and he knew it was the right decision.

* * *

"Will, get up!" Someone threw a pillow at the son of Apollo's face, effectively jolting him out of his blissful sleep.

"Huh?" he asked as he sat up groggily.

"It's CHRISTMAS!" Two of his youngest siblings jumped onto his bed and slammed him back into the mattress. He laughed and ruffled their hair, a pleased sensation washing over him. It was Christmas! His favorite holiday. And he had all his siblings around him, their random Christmas decorations about ready to fall off the walls and doorways.

It still felt like he was missing something, though.

Kayla trudged over to Will's bed, picking up the youngest kid. "Get up and get dressed, dummy. Your surprise is waiting."

Will looked up at her in question as he swung his legs over the side of his bed, the other kid crawling off to get ready. "My what?"

Austin popped up next to his sister. "You heard. Now get dressed and get out the door. We'll take care of everything here."

With one last confused glance, Will began getting ready for the day. He pulled on his favorite Christmas sweater—light blue with a melting snowman that said, "I'll be back!"—and dark wash jeans. As he wrapped a scarf around his neck, Austin pulled him away from the closet and towards the door. "Okay, lover boy, that's enough."

"Wha—Austin!" Will sputtered. "It's cold outside!"

"Not for long." Nothing he said made any sense to Will. He was practically thrown out the door, sending him stumbling down the steps and straight into one Nico di Angelo.

"Nico!" Will turned red immediately, straightening up and trying to figure out what was going on.

"Geez, Solace, what are you doing?"

"I—I don't know! My siblings just kicked me out, I think." He frowned as he looked back at the now shut door to Cabin 7. "They said something about a surprise?"

He turned back to see Nico nervously fiddling with his skull ring. He stopped then, taking a deep breath and looking up at Will. "Um, I have a surprise for you. And, I really hope you like it..."

Before Will could even respond, Nico took his hand and, with a glance as his only warning, Will found himself pulled into darkness.

* * *

Shadow-travel was really weird. It felt like wind rushing past you as you run and tumbling through dark waters. It was also somehow nearly instantaneous. None of it made sense to Will. He found himself stumbling and nearly falling to the ground if not for Nico's hands clamped around his arms. Will had to take deep breaths and instinctively latched onto Nico's arms to steady himself.

"Sorry, you okay?" Nico asked.

"Yeah," Will panted. "Just give me a sec." Few more deep breaths. "Shadow travel?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah, I forgot that it's kind of disorienting at first."

Will had gathered himself enough to step back out of Nico's grasp. "A little bit. Are you okay? Where are we?"

Nico smiled slightly. "I'm good. Compared to the Athena Parthenos, traveling with you is nothing." He looked around, causing Will to do the same. "Um, surprise?"

Will could only gape as he took in his familiar surroundings. The wide road, neat houses, green trees, shining sun. Even in the winter, Austin, Texas still looked good, unlike the cold and dreary New York he had been accustomed to. The boys stood in the shade of a medium-sized, faded yellow house with Christmas lights strung around the windowsills. Purple and yellow flowers filled the bed of soil near them.

Will still hadn't responded when they heard faint Christmas music coming from within the house. Will froze, but Nico grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the front of the house. He seemed very comfortable with the situation, which surprised Will a tiny bit. It was clear that the son of Hades had planned this, but Will still didn't have enough time to process his thoughts before he was pulled up the front steps to the door. With only a second of hesitation, Nico knocked. They heard movement inside and a second later, the door swung open to reveal a beautiful blonde woman. Her hair was done up in a messy but stylish bun and she donned a soft Christmas sweater pulled down over faded jeans.

They stared at each other, and, again, Will was too stunned to speak. Luckily, she recovered before him. "Will?"

"Mom," he choked out, and before he knew it, she had flung the screen door back and had him in a bear hug, which he immediately returned.

"Oh, honey. I've missed you so much," she drawled, her Southern accent comforting Will to his core. He hadn't heard it in so long.

"Missed you, too." Will found himself rapidly blinking to keep his tears from falling, even though he could already feel his shirt dampening where his mom pressed her face into his shoulder. "Sorry I haven't visited in a while—"

"Hush, none of that. I know you have important duties at camp." She pulled back to look in her son's face. "I'm a busy girl, too, you know."

Will couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I thought you were on tour?" No matter how long it's been, Naomi Solace was still a talented alt-country singer with loyal fans. It's not surprising that Apollo fell for her.

She glanced to Will's left and Will suddenly remembered that Nico was right there, fiddling with his skull ring awkwardly. "Your friend here made sure I'd be home a couple months ago."

Will turned to in amazement to Nico, who smiled shyly in response. "You… you planned this that long ago?"

Nico looked away and nodded. "I know you haven't been home in a long time, and you love Christmas, so…" he trailed off.

Will shook his head in wonder. The next thing he knew, his arms were thrown around the smaller boy's shoulders, his face buried in his hair. He couldn't believe how incredibly thoughtful Nico was. "Nico, I… thank you. So much." Small but strong arms wrapped around his torso and squeezed in response before letting go. Will probably could have stayed there forever, but Nico probably felt awkward with his mom standing right there.

Will looked back to his mom expectantly and found she had been watching them fondly. He cocked his eyebrow as the silence stretched on. "Oh!" she suddenly moved. "Come in, come in! It's not as cold as New York, I'm sure, but I'm absolutely freezing! I've got some food in the oven, but I can make some hot cocoa for you boys as we wait…" Naomi rambled on, her Southern hospitality kicking in full force.

Will followed her into the house, pausing to grip Nico's wrist and pull him along when he hesitated in the doorway. "Let's go, Death Boy. Don't you dare think about disappearing on me when you planned this whole thing."

Nico huffed out a breath. "Well, I don't—"

"You're not intruding," Will interrupted. "My mom probably made way too much food anyway." He smiled when he felt Nico relax a little in his grip, shifting to squeeze his hand for reassurance.

* * *

After their brunch, Naomi was chatting happily with Nico, who nodded along and answered her random questions as best he could.

"Hey, Nico?" The boy looked up in question. "Do you have your prism? I should check in on my siblings at camp."

Nico felt his pockets and pulled out the small prism Will had given him last week. "I'm sure they're fine."

"You don't know my siblings," Will laughed as he politely excused himself from the table.

He went out into the backyard, holding up the prism to catch some of the sunlight that peeked between the clouds. Shining the light on the wall of his house, he dug out a drachma from his pocket and threw it in. "Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering and show me Kayla Knowles at camp."

The light shimmered to show Kayla trying to wrangle her younger siblings in their cabin. A few new toys, and some weapons, could be seen in their little hands. "Kayla?"

She whipped around, relieved at the sight of her older brother even if he wasn't physically there. "Will! How's home?"

"It's great," he said with a soft smile. "Thanks for doing this, Kayla."

"Oh, it wasn't me," she shook her head. "It was all Nico's idea. We just had to make sure you were okay to leave." A pillow flew across the room behind her; she just sighed.

"Still, thanks. I really missed my mom."

Kayla's eyes softened. "I know. That's why we all agreed to do this."

A beat of silence, and then Will remembered why he really called. "Oh, wait! So, what about tonight? Did Nico plan this before I planned my thing? Has anyone come yet?"

"Will, calm down. Honestly, we're lucky both you and Nico coordinated things with us. I told him that you guys should be back for dinner. Austin is manning the infirmary and we told people to meet him there."

Will sagged in relief. He really had the best siblings. "What would I do without you?"

Kayla rolled her eyes. "You'd never get your man, that's for sure."

"Kayla!" he screeched, his cheeks heating up instantly.

"Just enjoy yourself, Will. It'll be fine." She smirked and waved her hand through the message. Will sighed, sending up a quick prayer of thanks to Apollo for his family, and went back inside.

* * *

It was around 4 PM when Nico said something.

"Um, I promised your siblings that you'd be back before dinnertime," he said to Will. He looked uncertain, and probably uncomfortable with pulling Will away from time with his mom.

"Oh, of course, darlin'! You've got other family to be with on Christmas." Will remembered his mother's reluctance when she first let him stay at camp year-round. To see her so willing to let him go meant she truly understood the importance of his role at camp with his younger siblings. "Even if you're still my baby, I hope you're taking care of all your brothers and sisters."

Will stood and hugged his mom. "Yeah, I am."

After they broke apart, she turned towards Nico, who bowed slightly. "Thank you for having me, Mrs. Solace."

"Oh, sweetie, we hug 'round here." She pulled him in and kissed his head. It was so quick, Nico didn't even have time to hug back before she held him at arm's length. "Thank _you_, hon. I couldn't have seen my baby without you. Come visit again soon! You're always welcome here. Oh, Will!" She spun around and grabbed a CD case off the counter. "This is my newest album. Someone in your cabin liked my music, right?"

Will laughed as he accepted the gift from him mom. "Yeah, I think all of them." They shared another hug, and Will wished he could stay in his mother's arms not for the first time today. But he had people who depended on him. "I love you, mom. I miss you so much."

"I know, baby. Visit when you can." They both knew they couldn't make any promises, their lives were too unpredictable for that. But it was enough.

Will didn't want to freak out his mom, but she said that she knew Nico had some teleportation power considering how far they had come and Will hadn't done it before. So, Will gripped Nico's hand tightly as they fell into the shadows. He smiled at his mom before she disappeared from sight.

* * *

Nico stumbled out of the shadows and would have fallen to his knees had he not been holding Will's hand. Even disoriented, Will could feel the darkness clinging to Nico.

"Nico!" Will gasped.

"I'm good, I'm good," Nico reassured Will, his eyes closed against the sudden light. "Just dizzy."

"Let's go to the infirmary and get you some ambrosia." They took another second to gather themselves before Will led the way to the Big House, still hand-in-hand.

Nico didn't notice anything as they walked, too busy concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. After downing a piece of ambrosia, he felt much better. Then, he finally took in his surroundings. "Where is everyone?" The infirmary was oddly empty, and he didn't really remember passing anyone in the camp.

Will shrugged, looking out the open door. "Maybe people are at the pavilion for dinner already. Since it's Christmas, dinner might be early so the campfire can be longer, or something."

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot it's still Christmas."

Will gazed at him fondly. "Yeah," he said before bridging the distance between them and pulling Nico into a fierce hug. "Thank you so so _so_ much, Nico. I can't believe I got to see my mom today."

Nico paused only for a second before gently laying his arms on the son of Apollo's back in return. "You both seemed really happy."

Will scoffed in Nico's ear. "Happy doesn't even cover it."

They broke apart and looked at each other. Their eyes told of things unsaid: gratefulness, kindness, care. _Love_ is the only word that could encompass everything. But neither boy was ready to unpack that yet.

The moment ended when someone noisily came into the infirmary. "Oh, you guys are back!" Austin exclaimed.

Will immediately went over and gave his brother a hug. "Thanks for today."

Austin laughed and hugged back. "No problem, bro. I hope seeing your mom was nice."

"Even better." Will stepped back and pulled the album out from his satchel. "My mom sends her love."

"Oh, _dude_," Austin breathed as he grabbed for the disc. "Everyone is gonna freak."

Nico watched the brothers interact. He couldn't help the persistent feeling of loneliness he felt from time to time when he hung out with the Apollo kids. He wished he could see Hazel, or not think about Bianca, or something along those lines. Sticking close to Will, who always made him feel welcomed, could only go so far (pretty damn far, but still).

Austin cleared his throat loudly, catching Nico's attention. "Well," he said a little too loudly. "I think everyone is going to dinner already, so you guys better hurry up!" He gave Will a pointed look. "Kayla has the others there, don't worry."

Nico didn't think the Apollo cabin was too difficult to organize and get to dinner, but maybe the holiday just made everyone a little more hyperactive than normal. Will nodded seriously, clapping his brother on the shoulder with a sincere "thank you."

Austin left ahead of them, leaving Nico and Will alone once again. "Feel okay, Death Boy?"

Nico nodded and got up to join Will by the door. "Yeah, all good. I just realized I probably should've called Hazel earlier."

Will cocked his head in sympathy. "We'll make sure you see her later, then. Gotta get some food in you!"

They smiled at each other and headed toward the pavilion, which was a lot louder than normal. It was glowing warmly, the light of the day fading much earlier now that they were well into winter.

Nico was used to blocking out the noise of camp, but he couldn't help but perk up at the sound of familiar laughter. He looked intently at the pavilion, still a little too far to make out any faces. As they got closer, one face popped out and shrieked, "Nico!"

The next thing he knew, brown curls filled his vision as he was tackled to the ground in a bear hug. Nico hit the ground and could barely catch his breath as he gazed up at the girl perched above him. "Hazel?" he wheezed.

"Surprise! Merry Christmas!" She beamed down at him, her expression full of joy and love that had Nico feeling winded from more than the hug.

"You—how—"

"Hazel!" An indignant voice Nico instantly recognized as Percy's floated down from the pavilion. "We were supposed to surprise him together!"

She giggled as she helped her brother up, who still hadn't gotten a full sentence out. "Sorry! Couldn't help it," she called back.

"What are you doing here?" Nico finally choked out, still staring at his sister in awe, though he distantly recognized that all his friends were present at camp.

Hazel smiled impossibly wider as she tugged her brother along. "It's Christmas, silly! We wanted to surprise you and see each other." Her eyes slid to the left, and Nico felt a weird sense of almost déjà vu when he realized Will was still walking along next to them, practically glowing with happiness. Didn't he surprise Will just earlier today in a similar manner?

"You…?" Nico gaped at Will, unable to process words at the moment.

Will smiled at him as he always did. "I just asked if everyone wanted to come back for a Camp Half Blood Christmas party," he shrugged. "I know you missed Hazel, and I figured, why not get everyone?"

"Aww, you missed me?" Hazel teased, and Nico turned red. "Will is downplaying it, though. He practically begged us all to come, even offering to pay for travel stuff. He went on and on about how it would mean so much to you, and to the rest of the camp, how it was good for your health, blah, blah, blah." Now Will was coloring, though out of embarrassment or indignation, Nico wasn't sure.

"So, you… did this for me?"

"I mean," Will glanced away nervously. "Yeah. I-I did."

Nico basically stopped walking, trying in vain to process his overwhelming emotions. Luckily, Hazel has always had a knack for knowing how to help him. She used her hold on Nico to spin him towards Will and nudged him forward. It was enough to spring him into action, instinctively raising his arms and wrapping them around the son of Apollo. He had been doing that a lot, lately, and he couldn't say he minded that much. The hug was brief, but sincere, communicating to Will all the gratitude Nico could muster in the moment. He didn't even know that his loneliness was obvious, and perhaps it wasn't to anyone but Will.

Nico didn't get any more time to think on it as more people approached him in front of the entrance to the pavilion. "Little bro!" was all the warning he got before he was swept into another bear hug, this time from both Percy and Jason. Nico grumbled and writhed on instinct, making everyone in the vicinity chuckle.

"Dude, I've missed you! I almost forgot how boring the mortal world was," Percy said.

Annabeth appeared next to him to elbow him in the side. "I'd say your life could use a little boring, don't you?" She smiled at Nico. "Merry Christmas, Nico."

"How have you been?" He turned toward Jason, who had been between camps so often that Nico barely saw him in the past few months.

"Good," he simply said.

"No fading into shadows, I presume?" The regal tone caught Nico off guard, and he spun around to see Reyna striding over from one of the tables. She wore a purple Camp Jupiter sweater and black jeans, a shocking change from her usual praetor uniform that Nico always pictured her in.

"Reyna!" They shared a quick hug that reminded Nico of the big sister figure and friend he found in the praetor. He really missed seeing her around.

Nico fell into easy conversation with everyone after greetings were finished with a small wave from Frank and nods to Piper and Leo, whom he always saw around camp anyway. It was almost surreal being with everyone in such a casual setting. No impending war, no godly interference, no fear of an attack; just teens hanging out and celebrating together.

They all ended up at the Hades table, and it was then that Nico noticed everything else going on in the pavilion. People milled about at every table, regardless of where they should have been sitting. Various Christmas decorations brightened the entire place, and laughter filled the air. It was the cheeriest Nico had ever seen the camp.

His eyes were drawn to a certain blonde healer laughing with his siblings. Will looked up and met Nico's gaze with a bright and sincere smile, which Nico returned as best he could.

"He did all this for you, you know." Nico turned to Jason, who gave him a knowing look.

"Well, it was kind of for everyone, right?" Nico looked around, but no one seemed entirely convinced.

"Nah, man. Don't get me wrong, I'm so glad we got to do this. But when Will contacted me and Annabeth, it was really about making you happy." Annabeth nodded along with Percy's words, as did everyone else.

Nico felt his cheeks heat up and he looked down, unsure of what to say. He missed the shared glances above his head as everyone tried to decide how much they should say about this.

Hazel took the lead and reach over to squeeze Nico's hand. "I'm glad you have someone like Will around."

Nico glanced up and smiled at his sister before turning his head to peek at the boy with sunlit hair and sky blue eyes. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

"Will!" Nico called as everyone was headed to their cabins for lights out. The Seven and Reyna were all staying for at least one night and agreed to hang out tomorrow since many were tired from travel.

The son of Apollo glanced back and grinned when he saw Nico jogging toward him. He told his sister to make sure everyone got to bed and shooed her off before turning back to the son of Hades. "What's up?"

"I just…" Nico trailed off. "Sorry we didn't get to talk too much at dinner and stuff."

"Oh!" Will looked a little surprised. "No worries, Neeks! The whole point was for you to spend time with your friends. I'm just glad you got to see them. You seemed really happy."

"Yeah," Nico rubbed his arm bashfully. "Um, thank you. For tonight. I had no idea you were planning this."

Will smiled—he probably hadn't stopped smiling for the past 12 days—and shook his head. "I could say the same about your surprise for me today." He reached out and took Nico's hand, pleased when he didn't pull away. "I can't thank you enough for taking me to see my mom."

"Guess we both had big plans for today, huh?"

"Yeah, luckily my siblings made sure it all ran smoothly," he laughed.

They were standing pretty close together now, gazing into each other's eyes and trying to convey everything they were feeling. It was impossible to put into words their gratitude, not only for today, but for everything that came with their friendship. There was more there, way more, but neither knew how to touch on that just yet. They were on the edge of something big, yet it felt like the next step.

"Hey, Nico?"

"Yeah?"

"I really love spending time with you."

A beat.

"Yeah. I love it, too."

**A/N: Ah guys I did it again, I failed to begin their relationship. Slow burn or do I just love friendship that much? Hard to say. But really, I am so impressed with how this 12 days turned out, I enjoyed writing it a lot and am actually proud of what I wrote! Thanks for reading and tracking along with me! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!**


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